Praying for healing: the magical-religious resort in the search for health ; Rezar para sanar: el recurso mágico-religioso en la búsqueda de la salud

Abstract

This article contains part of the findings of anthropological fieldwork conducted by the author in the field of popular Catholicism in Andalusia (Spain), work funded by the Commission of Ethnology of the Andalucian government for the realization of her thesis PhD. In order to fight and end disease, different cultural systems offer both empirical and supernatural answers, especially in situations where scientific medicine lacks one. In those circumstances, people resort to metaphysical explanations in an attempt to propitiate supernatural beings so that they apply their healing powers. In traditional catholic societies Andalusia for the case that concerns us people have used, and still do, a magical-religious model based on the belief that supernatural beings (God, the Virgin or the saints) possess enough power to interrupt the course of any disease. In addition, this model comprises a ritual to invoke the participation of the supernatural beings in the rearrangement of some fact in exchange for a votive offering. My aim in this paper is to present this religious ritual whose main motivation is the resolution of health-related problems. The votive offering is the last link in a ritual process that begins with a situation of disease, accident or risk suffered by a subject; this circumstance is followed by an invocation and a promise to be fulfilled by the subject or another person in her name, requesting the intervention of the supernatural being to end that threat. When the request is granted to the petitioners satisfaction, it commits her to fulfill the promise. Here is where the votive offering plays its part a material object of lasting character that appears as the materialization of the miraculous fact ; Resumen: Este artículo recoge parte de las conclusiones del trabajo de campo antropológico realizado por la autora en el ámbito del catolicismo popular en Andalucía (España), trabajo financiado por la Comisión de Etnología de la Junta de Andalucía y que tuvo por objeto la realización de su tesis doctoral. Para combatir y acabar con la enfermedad, los diferentes sistemas culturales plantean respuestas de orden empírico pero también de carácter sobrenatural sobre todo en situaciones de falta de respuesta de la medicina científica. En estas circunstancias las personas acuden a explicaciones de orden metafísico tratando de propiciar a los seres sobrenaturales para que apliquen su poder en la curación. En las sociedades tradicionales católicas – Andalucía para el caso que nos ocupa- se ha usado y se sigue utilizando un modelo mágico-religioso basado en la creencia de que los seres sobrenaturales (Dios, la Virgen o los santos) poseen un poder suficiente para interrumpir el curso de cualquier enfermedad. Asimismo este modelo lleva aparejado un ritual para invocar la participación de los sujetos sobrenaturales en la reordenación de un hecho, a cambio de un exvoto. Mi intención con este trabajo es presentar dicho ritual religioso cuya motivación principal es la resolución de problemas relacionados con la salud. El exvoto es el último eslabón de un proceso ritual que comienza con una situación de enfermedad, accidente o riesgo padecido por un sujeto, a esta circunstancia le sigue la invocación y promesa realizada por él mismo u otra persona en su nombre, solicitando al ser sobrenatural su intervención para acabar con esa amenaza. Cuando la petición es satisfecha a juicio del peticionario, se obliga al cumplimiento de la promesa y aquí es donde entra el exvoto. Un objeto material de carácter perdurable que se presenta como la materialización del hecho milagroso.Abstract: This article contains part of the findings of anthropological fieldwork conducted by the author in the field of popular Catholicism in Andalusia (Spain), work funded by the Commission of Ethnology of the Andalucian government for the realization of her thesis PhD. In order to fight and end disease, different cultural systems offer both empirical and supernatural answers, especially in situations where scientific medicine lacks one. In those circumstances, people resort to metaphysical explanations in an attempt to propitiate supernatural beings so that they apply their healing powers. In traditional catholic societies –Andalusia for the case that concerns us– people have used, and still do, a magical-religious model based on the belief that supernatural beings (God, the Virgin or the saints) possess enough power to interrupt the course of any disease. In addition, this model comprises a ritual to invoke the participation of the supernatural beings in the rearrangement of some fact in exchange for a votive offering. My aim in this paper is to present this religious ritual whose main motivation is the resolution of health-related problems. The votive offering is the last link in a ritual process that begins with a situation of disease, accident or risk suffered by a subject; this circumstance is followed by an invocation and a promise to be fulfilled by the subject or another person in her name, requesting the intervention of the supernatural being to end that threat. When the request is granted to the petitioner's satisfaction, it commits her to fulfill the promise. Here is where the votive offering plays its part –a material object of lasting character that appears as the materialization of the miraculous fact.